Sawmill-carriage.



B. D.KSTEVENS. SAWMILL CARRIAGE.

APPLIGATIQN FILED JULY 5, 1910.

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lll lll r ,1 gmmrlllllM/w Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

B. D. STEVENS.

SAWMILL CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1910. 1,093,21 5. Patented Apr. 14, 1914..

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fj/QJ. 27 J@ 20 ff IHIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIF maar 1 BURT D. STEVENS, OFBELOII, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THTE BERLIN MACHINE WORKS, OF BELOIT,WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

SAWMILL-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1a, 1914.

Application filed July 5, 1910. Serial No. 570,349.

To all whom fit may concern Be it known that I, Burr D. STEVENS, acitizen of the United lStates, residing at Beloit, in the county of Rockand State of llisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sawmill-Carriages, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to saw mill carriages, and has particular referenceto mechanism which is adapted to automatically shift the platform of thecarriage laterally in the sawing of logs into boards or planks so thatthe log will be clear of the saw when the former is returned to itsinitial position.

It will be apparent that when a log is sawed longitudinally in a sawmill, it will be necessary to move the log laterally away from the sawwhen the carriage is returned to its original position preparatory tothe next cut, otherwise, the saw might be thrown out of adjustment andthe log itself subjected to more or less damage.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficientmechanism which will automatically accomplish the lateral shifting ofthe platform of the carriage without shock or jar to the carriage orother parts. I attain this object by mounting the platform on a pair ofaxles so that the former may have free lateral movement within certainpredetermined limits on the latter. The shifting mechanism is directlyassociated with the cables, which move the carriage in a forward andbackward direction. The platform is also connected by means of toggleswith longitudinally movable shifting rods which are, in turn, actuatedby the cables above mentioned. These rods are mounted on the underlyingframework of the carriage in such manner that they have no lateralmovement so that when longitudinal movement of the shifting rods takesplace, the platform of the carriage is necessarily moved laterally bymeans of the toggle connections above mentioned. One particularadvantage of this construction is that the lateral movement of theplatform occurs before the carriage, as awhole, begins to move.

In mechanism of this character, the reversal of the carriage-movingmeans shifts the carriage laterally before imparting motion theretoalong` the track. This necessitates a loose connection between thecarriage and the means for moving the same.

t t is another obj ect of my invention to provide a form of connectionbetween the carrlage and the operating means such that the taking up ofthis looseness will not result in a j ar to the machine.

It sometimes happens that it is desirable to move the carriage a shortdistance backward while a cut is being made. In order to accomplish thisand still prevent lateral movement of the platform, I provide a retainerwhich consists of a cam serving to prevent longitudinal movement of theshifting rods above mentioned.

These and other advantages of my invention will be more apparent byreference to the accompanying drawings representing a preferredembodiment of my improvements and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the carriage showing the platform andshifting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on theline 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary verticallongitudinal section showing the retainer for preventing lateralmovement of the platform. Fig. e is a view similar to Fig. 8 except thatthe retainer is moved into inoperative position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end elevation of the carriage. Fig. 6 is anenlarged fragmentary plan View showing part of the platform and certainportions of the shifting mechanism.

Mounted on the ends of the axles 11, 11 are the wheels 12, 12 havingV-shaped treads adapted to engage a track which is of correspondingsection. On the opposite end of each axle is mounted the wheel 13 havinga flat tread, so that it will be apparent that the carriages travel isdirected by the track which is engaged by the wheels 12, 12.

The platform 14E, having the central cross members 15, 15, and the endcross members 16, 16, is mounted on the axles 11, 11 by means of thecollars 17 which are laterally movable on the axles. Also looselymounted on each of the axles 11, is the sleeve 18 which is preventedfrom lateral movement by the collars 19 which are suitably pinned to theaxles 11 so as to be rigidly connected therewith.

Attached to the under sides of the cross members l5, 15 of the platform14, are the journal boxes 20, 20 which together with the boxes 21, 21form the bearings for the shafts 22 and 23. Each of the boxes 21, 21 issecured to its companion box 20 by means of the bolts 24 on which aremounted the springs 25, so that the boxes 21 have a resilient bearing onthe shafts 22 and 23. Rig idly mounted on the shafts 22 and 23 is theshifting block 26 having the upper I-shaped extension 27 and the lowerprojections 28 and 29. Passing through the projection 2S is the hook 30which has the threaded portion 31 and is held in position by means ofthe nut 32. Attached to the hook 30 is the operating cable 33 which thusserves to move the carriage to the right, as indicated in Figs. 1 to 4inclusive. Similarly the hook 34, having the threaded portions 35 andheld in position by the nut 36, passes through `the, projection 29. Thecable 37 is attached to this hook and serves to move the saw millcarriage to the left, as indicated in the above mentioned figures.Compensation for ins equalities in the lengths of the cables 33 and 37may be effected by suitable adjustment of the hooks 30 or 34 by means ofthe nuts 32 or 36 which engage the threaded portions of said hooks.

On the left hand side of the right cross member 15, as indicated in thedrawings, is an abutment plate 38 which is engaged by the I-shapedprojection 27 when the block 26 is moved to its extreme position to theright. Mounted on the side of the opposite cross member 15 is thebracket 39 in which is mounted the cam or retainer 40 having the handle41. This cam has a round disk portion 42 having the notches 43 and 44 inits periphery and the abutment portion 45. The spring controlled lockingpin 46 is mounted in the bracket. 39 and engages the. notch 44 when thecam 40 is in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 3, and engages thenotch 43 when the cam is in its raised position, as indicated in Fig. 4.It will thus be apparent that when the cam 40 is raised, the block 26and its I-shaped projection 27 can travel independently between thebracket 39 and the abutment plate 33, whereas when the cam is in itslowered position, the extension 27 is engaged by the abutment plate 38and the abutment portion 45 of the cam 4G, so that longitudinal movementof the block 26 is prevented.

Attached to the ends of the shaft 23, by means of thetoggle connections47, are the shifting rods 48 which pass through suitable slots in thelower portions of the sleeves 18, 13. These shifting rods 4S areconnected with the platform 14 by means of the toggles 49.

Having thus described the construction of the saw mill carriage of myinvention, its operation may now be readily understood.

Let us assume that when a log is being sawed the carriage is moved tothe right, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4 and 6. In this case the carriagewill be moved by action of the cable 33 on the hook 30, and the partswill be in the positions indicated in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 6 except that innormal operation, the cam 40 will be raised, as shown in Fig. 4. All ofthe parts will remain in the positions just mentioned until the log hasbeen cut through. le will assume that the cutting of the log begins atthe side which would be at the left when one faces in the direction oftravel of the log when it is being cut, and that the boards or planksare bein sawed successively toward the right of the log. It will thus beevident that after each cut on the log, the platform should be movedtoward the right in order to cause the log to clear the saw. Then aboard or plank has been cutfrom the log and it is desired to return thecarriage to its original position,

power is applied on the cable 37 which is transmitted to the hook 34 andthe block 26 is moved to the posit-ion indicated in Fig. 4.

This movement of block 26 causes the shafts 22 and 23 to be similarlymoved to the left in the spring controlled journal boxes 20 and 2l, andthe shifting rods 43 are thereby simultaneously caused to movelongitudinally to the left. TheV journal boxes 20- and 21, by theirpressure upon the shifting rods,

act as friction draft devices to prevent the projection 27 on theshifting block 26from striking the cam 40 too forcibly. Gn account ofthe engagement of each shifting rod 4S with its corresponding sleeveV1S, lateral movement of these shifting rods is prevented. As the rodsare moved longitudinally therefore, since the platform 14 has onlylateral movement on the axles 11, the

longitudinal movement of the shifting rods 4S will, by means of thetoggles 49, cause the platform 14 to be bodily shifted to the right,considered from the point of view of one who faces the direction inwhich the log travels when it is being cut. lVhen the platform 14 isshifted to the right as just described, it will be appa-rent that themechanism attached to the cross members 15, 15

must be simultaneously shifted, and in order to allow this to takeplace, the toggles 47, 47

are provided between the ends of the shaft 23 and the shifting rods 43.It will be apparent that. the above mentioned shifting of the platform14 takes place before the carriage,

as a whole, begins to move longitudinally,

inasmuch as the longitudinal movement cannot be affected when the cam 40is raised until the I-shaped projection 27 engages the bracket 39, andby the time this occurs, the

lateral shifting of the platform must have been completed. The path oftravel of the platform 14 is therefore in the shape of a rectangle.

It sometimes happens that when a saw cut is being made, it is desired tomove back the carriage a short distance without shifting the platformlaterally. This may readily be accomplished by moving the cam 40 intothe position shown in Fig. 3. The block 2G can now have 11o longitudinalmovement so that there will be no lateral movement of the platform 14.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes couldbe made in the detailed construction'of the parts which I have describedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of a platform, means forsupporting said platform, means for longitudinally and reciprocatinglymoving said platform and its supporting means, means for shifting saidplatform laterally on the supporting means before its longitudinalmovement begins, the path of travel of said platform thereby being madeof rectangular shape, and frictional means for retarding the movement ofthe laterally shifting means, substantially as described.

2. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally movable on said axles, shifting means carried by'saidplatform, oppositely disposed propelling means attached to said shiftingmeans, the application of power to said propelling means serving to movethe plat-form into a corresponding lateral position and then to move thecarriage in a longitudinal direction, and friction means for preventingshock when power is so applied, substantially as described.

3. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally movable on said axles, shifting means supported bysaid platform, and having movement longitudinally thereof, oppositelydisposed propelling means attached to said shifting means, theapplication of power to said propelling` means serving to move theplatform into a corresponding lateral position and then to move thecarriage in a longitudinal direction, friction means for retarding themovement of said shifting means, and means for preventing at will thelateral movement of said platform, substantially as described.

4. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally movable on said axles, a shifting block movable withrespect to said platform, means for moving the platform laterally onsaid axles when the shifting block is moved longitudinally, means forretarding the movement of said block, and propelling means attached tosaid shifting block and adapted to move the same in oppositelongitudinal directions, substantially as described.

Vof supporting axles, `movable on said axles, a shifting block, a

5. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally movable on said axles, a shifting block, a shaft onwhich said block is mounted., means for carrying said shaft supported bysaid platform and adapted to apply pressure thereto, a shifting rodconnected with said shaft, means connecting said platform with saidshifting rod whereby when the same is moved longitudinally, the platformis shifted laterally, and propelling means attached to said shiftingblock for moving the carriage in opposite longitudinal directions,substantially as described.

6. In a saw mill carriage, the combination a platform laterally shaft onwhich said block is mounted, spring pressed means for carrying saidshaft supported by said platform and frictionally engaging said shaft, ashifting rod connected with said. shaft, means connecting said platformwith said shifting rod whereby when the latter is moved longitudinallythe platform is shifted laterally, propelling means attached to saidshifting block for moving the same in opposite longitudinal directionswith relation to the platform and also to move the carriage bodily, andmeans for preventing at will longitudinal movement of said shiftingblock with respect to said platform when the carriage is moved therebypreventing lateral movement of said platform, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally movable on said axis, a shifting block arranged tohave movement with respect to the platform, a shaft on which saidshifting block is mounted, means for supporting said shaft from saidplatform, a shifting rod attached to said shaft, means for preventinglateral movement of said shifting rod, means supporting said shiftingrod on said platform, propelling means adapted to move said shiftingblock longitudinally with respect to said platform into engagementtherewith and simultaneously causing lateral movement of the platform bythe action of said shifting rod, and means for preventing shock to theplatform when said block engages the latter, substantially as described.

8. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally shiftable thereon, a shifting block longitudinallymovable on the platform, a draft appliance connected to the block, ashifting rod guided for longitudinal movement with reference to theaxles, and a toggle connection between the rod and the platform andbetween rod and the block, substantially as described.

9. In a saw mill carriage, the combination of supporting axles, aplatform laterally shiftable thereon, a shifting block longitudinallymovable on the platform, a dra-ft apof the shifting block, substantiallyas cleplance connected to tle block, a, shifting scribed.

rod Guided for longtu nal movement with Y refefzence to the axles, a,toggle connection BERT D' STEVENS' 5 between rod and the platform andbetween Witnesses:

the rod and the block, and friction braking F. A. HORSTMANN,

mechanism arranged to retard the movement TELLA SOLIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

